Slap Happy

[funkyjazzjunky]

Why do so many young bass players think they have to slap, pop, and/snap the strings on every note?  A young man with a fine Fodera bass which had an excellent warm tone when I fooled around with it.  Then he just pounded it during his band's set, to the point that it was annoying.  I slap for effect but I want people to hear the tone of my bass (Whether anyone wants to hear me play bass is another question).  
 
Vann-Di
 
(Message edited by FunkyJazzJunky on July 25, 2012)

[tubeperson]

It is a matter of Taste versus Sport Plucking (disguised pun intentional) Young can mean age or lack of experience.  Perhaps some insecurity on the young player drives them to pound away.  On another thread, it was raised that newbies always seem to feel they can bash an Alembic, if a player offers to let the newbie sample their goods.  This is why unless I get a $2,000 deposit, no one other than a guitar tech well known to me touches any of my Alembics.  This seems to protect my investment in my instruments quite well.

[jazzyvee]

Are there any problems that can materialise in a bass that has been used excessively for slapping and popping?
 
The only things I've seen on basses that I presume have been used for that technique a lot is excessive wear on the finish around G string area where the said action is taking place the base of the neck and excessive wear on the last fret. But that's just my guess as to the cause of wear.  
 
 
BTW: On this side of the pond, the word slapper , that we would refer to here on the forum as someone who hits bass strings with the thumb, has a whole different meaning.  
 
Jazzyvee

[terryc]

Back in the 80's I wore a hole in the pick up cover on an Aria bass on the G string side. I was doing the whole Mark King thing but he uses light strings(90 on the E) whereas I was using a 105 gauge(on the E) which are a damn site heavier.
I once switched to 90's as an experiment and suddenly I was as fast as him!
I agree jazzy LOL!!

[tubeperson]

Victor Wooten's original 1983 Fodera has wear near the thumb anchor position.  It's kinda like is trademark at this point.  I think the location of wear marks on a bass depend on the player of the bass, including their slap technique, and anchoring, as well as the G-String issues stated above (although I can think of other G-Strigs I'd rather be dealing with, and not mine you perverts!).

[jazzyvee]

Terry are you going to reveal the UK meaning of the word since you are more adept at the bass playing version of the word.
 LOL
 
Jazzyvee

[terryc]

Jazzy...I may get a reprimand from the moderators!! And how very dare you! LOL

[terryc]

Oh for the hell of it
 
UK definition of 'slapper'
A women who offers sex to almost anyone but no payment required, usually when the said woman has had too much alcohol.

[pauldo]

:-D

[tubeperson]

Why contact the moderators?  College men routinely pray for this type of woman when trolling in bars and at parties.  Not saying its right, but often it happens.  Besides, when I saw slap happy, I thought perhaps it meant Wanker (Moderator Alert).

[stout71]

In the past, the neck pickups on my basses had very obvious wear (you can even make out the roundwound string wraps)caused by the E-string always banging into it.  My technique has improved quite a bit and I'm able to get the same quality of sound with a much lighter touch, but it still happens when I slap the E sometimes.  Geddy Lee and Flea are my two biggest influences and they play really hard, so go figure.  I used to break E's and A's all the time, to the point where I was putting new strings on every other gig.

[adriaan]

I'd be careful around the word neck.

[stout71]

Sorry.  Is that a blasphemous term around here?

[tubeperson]

Neck?  What's next, foot?  But bootie (Not Booty as in Buckaroo Bonzai Big John Booty) is OK? Where have you gone Joe Dimaggio?

[adriaan]

Just pointing out that it's also a verb. ;-)